How to prepare fresh prawns

Whole fresh prawns fresh from the shell taste so much better than ready cooked or peeled and it’s easy enough to do. Learn how to do it the expert way from food writer Rosie Ramsden.

Rosie Ramsden

As a food stylist, author and recipe writer, Rosie's recipes often feature in food publications such as delicious. and Waitrose food

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Hold the body of the prawn in one hand and firmly twist off the head with your other hand. (Save and freeze the heads and shells to make stock)
You need to open out the shell by breaking it where the leg are attached. Pull the legs and shell off, starting from the head end – leave the tail on for its aesthetic value if you like.
Run the tip of a small, very sharp knife down the centre of the prawn tail’s back.
Cut along the tail to remove the dark intestinal tract.
Use the tip of the knife to lift out the intestinal tract. Pull this out and discard.
To butterfly the prawn make a deeper cut through the flesh and open out.

Click here for more expert step-by-step techniques

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